A review by cat_book_lady
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

3.0

Definitely a very promising new writer!!! I love how Zhang creates a Chinese female character that has to reinvent herself in all different aspects of life - a calligrapher, working in a brothel, then working in Idaho in a Chinese market amidst rampant, violent anti-Chinese sentiment in the early 1920s. Based on a true story, I was absolutely horrified at how America has treated its immigrants, but this story is so unique because Zhang strings together bits and pieces of research to imagine what led to the ending. Zhang, too, brings everything so beautifully at the finish that I reveled in the full circle that brings her back to the lessons she learned in China as a young girl.

I will admit that the second half dragged a bit, and the "reveal" dragged out for a bit too long and seemed also a bit too unbelievable. But, Zhang kept me engaged and certainly rewards her readers at the end! I will definitely be reading another of her novels in the future.